I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle for shipping cargo, and more particularly, to movable sheet shipping racks disposed in the cargo bay of a cargo transport vehicle.
II. Discussion of the Present Technology
Sheet-like articles, e.g., glass sheets or multiple-glazed window units such as are installed in buildings, are usually transported between locations by loading the sheets on racks mounted on the flat bed of rail cars or trailers. The racks used are preferably of the type that can be assembled for shipping the sheets and thereafter disassembled to maximize space in the trailer for carrying return lading. Representative of the presently available racks that are assembled and disassembled are:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,755 PA2 U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,917 PA2 U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,942 PA2 U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,780 PA2 U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,676 PA2 U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,485
U.S. Pat. No. 3,569,755 teaches a glass shipping rack which includes slanting opposed walls for supporting glass sheets and an internal V-shaped member for urging the glass sheets toward the outer supporting surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,917 teaches a truck for shipping glass sheets in which the sheets are supported on members having their supporting surface lying in a plane parallel to the direction of travel.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,878,942 and 3,955,676 teach an adjustable shipping rack which include spaced A-shaped members each having slanting surfaces for supporting the sheets. Outer restraint members urge the sheets against the suporting surface of the A-shaped members.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,780 teaches a rack for shipping glass sheets in which the glass sheets are supported in a vertical position by adjustable members engaging each of the outer surfaces of the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,485 teaches a glass shipping rack having a base detachably secured to the flat bed of a trailer, an adjustable back support and a slidably adjustable front restraint, wherein the side edges of the glass sheets held by the rack are disposed parallel to the sidewalls of the trailer.
All of these above-discussed racks are limited in that a labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive procedure is required to detach and disassemble the racks and carry them either manually or by means of machinery to a storage position in the cargo bay of the trailer to maximize the space available for shipment of return lading. Therefore, there presently exists a need for a shipping facility which provides a cargo supporting facility which can be easily and quickly stored away to provide cargo space for carrying return lading, and which is economically feasible.